serum treated adipocytes. Insulin had minor influence on ATP production, but inhibited lipolysis in active but not hibernation serum treated adipocytes. This suggests that the reduction in

animals that have large seasonal cycles of fat accumulation and loss that do not exhibit the health

horribilis) that can have body fat contents >40%. It is known that hibernating bears survive by

To this end, the current studies were performed to determine if the cellular energetic phenotype -

metabolizing their fat stores. Previous in vitro studies found that hibernation season adipocytes

are insulin resistant and exhibit increased lipolysis as measured by extracellular glycerol. Yet,

what extent that was due to serum or intrinsic cellular factors. Extracellular acidification rate

other aspects of cellular metabolism were not addressed, leaving this in vitro model incomplete.

Hibernation serum treated adipocytes lack metabolic flexibility and produce less ATP than active

glycolysis during hibernation is occurring downstream of insulin signaling and glucose uptake.